Current Skin Care

Before my hiatus, being a blogger and reviewing different products definitely took a toll on my skin. Changing skincare products and using ones that were not meant for my skin type meant that it really suffered. Frequent breakouts and the general texture of my skin really got me down, so I have been sticking rigidly to my current routine for the last 6 months and I am noticing a massive difference.

This is my modest skincare routine. I used to have tons of different products and I see now that it was the worst thing for me to do!

Boots Botanics Soothing Eye Makeup Remover 

This is the best eye makeup remover I have ever used- I have bought countless bottles and I always make sure to keep back-ups! It has a very oily consistency and you have to shake it up to make sure the split oils combine. I then use a cotton round (does anyone else feel they need a lifetime supply of these?!) and press it on the eye for a short while to let opt sink into the mascara. I then swipe until its all gone; simple and quick! 

A'kin Rose and Geranium Creamy Cleanser

I absolutely love this cleanser! I am currently on my third bottle and at the moment I don't ever want to stray from it! It's a beautiful medium consistency cream that faintly smells of rose, but its not offensive in any way. It spreads so well over the face; I spend about a minute massaging this into the skin and just simply rinse off with warm water. I do the same again, massaging it in, but this time I remove any left over makeup with a muslin cloth and lightly polish the skin at the same time.

I will continue to purchase this cleanser- it's perfect for my dry skin (that's prone to breakouts on my chin), and does the job of removing all my makeup whilst making sure my skin isn't tight afterwards. It is supposed to be a cleanser and toner in one, but I like to use an extra toner anyway.

Dr Hauschka Facial Toner

This is a good basic toner; I just spritz it on my face and it refreshes my skin after cleansing, and I press it into the skin to give a great base for my serum/moisturiser. It was a long road to find a toner that I really liked that didn't have an astringent effect or dry my skin out too much after cleansing and this is it- it tightens my pores nicely before my moisturiser.

A'kin Rosehip Oil

I love Rosehip oil as a serum; it helps to even out my skin tone and reduces any redness I might have from a spot /scar or dryness around my nose. I have noticed a big difference in the texture and radiance of my skin from using this, and I don't feel horrible with no makeup on! 

Trilogy Vital Moisturising Cream

I really wanted a moisturiser that was as natural as possible but wasn't oily or greasy, one that gave me a great base for makeup and that didn't break me out or clog my pores, but also had to ward off wrinkles... Not too much to ask right?! After a looooong search I finally found a perfect moisturiser that ticks all of the boxes. It smells faintly of roses which I love and it has a lovely light consistency which spreads really easily and sinks in quickly but doesn't feel dry or tight.

Kiehls Creamy Eye Treatment with avocado

At the start of Winter last year I somehow developed some kind of eczema around my eyes. I had no idea why it suddenly appeared when I'd never had it anywhere before, and to make matters worse I was also a bridesmaid at my best friend's wedding! I bought this as a last resort even though I found it quite expensive, but I was at my wits end. It was probably the best decision I have ever had; I love this eye cream! It is light and spreads well under the eye and it cleared up the dry, red skin I had there so quickly. I will definitely repurchase this as it's also a great base for under eye concealer; it didn't roll or make me look greasy.

Alpha H Liquid Gold

I have noticed that the packaging has changed on this product, but as far as I know it hasn't been reformulated. I use this twice a week to stop the pores on my chin getting clogged, it's the bane of my life but this product really helps cell turnover. I will continue to save my pennies to repurchase this! 

Kiehls Soothing Gel Mask

Once a week as a treat to my skin I use this, it is a brown gel and spreads evenly over the skin. It doesn't dry like a traditional face mask so it can be tissued off but I prefer to rinse it off with water then follow with a toner and moisturiser. It hydrates and softens my skin, my complexion looks so clear the next morning. It has chamomile to soothe, dandelion extract to balance and hydrate and great burdock to help with dry skin. I love this mask, I will definitely repurchase it!

What are your favourite skincare products?!

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I have made the switch to Bloglovin, so either search Beautifulaspect or follow me by clicking on the button below! As far as I am aware GFC is disappearing very soon!

 

Dogeared Love

I have been loving dainty gold jewellery recently, my wrists and fingers are so tiny that chunky jewellery just looks out of place on me.

I bought a new ring and bracelet for a wedding I was going to and I have been wearing them every day since, I forget I m wearing them most of the time! Dogeared has the most perfect size for me, I am the smallest ring size and the tightest in bracelets... I'm like a child! 

I have the Faith ring and the Pearls of... bracelet. I definitely want more in my collection, namely these three beauties

I ordered mine from Accessories Online, they are quite expensive but I definitely think they are worth it!

What kind of jewellery have you been wearing lately?!

A'kin Shampoo and Conditioner Reviews

Recently I have been trying to make my hair as manageable as possible, it's so fine and thin that I really struggle to find products that volumise without weighing my hair down. I have found the one brand that really delivers in terms of volume and just the right amount of softness to make my hair nice and healthy looking. Greasy roots and dry ends make finding Shampoo and Conditioners almost impossible because they never deliver the whole package for me, except for A'kin of course! 

Rice Aminos and Wheat Protein Shampoo

This shampoo is designed for those that have dry and damaged hair, it really delivers, even though my hair is so fine and thin this doesn't weigh it down and make it greasy looking. I only use this once a week then I think my hair has had enough of heat styling and needs a little bit of TLC. It has a very watery consistency, which is a bit annoying at times, but it also means that it spreads evenly through my hair. There are no nasties (that I know of) in this, which means it will not lather up easily, but all it takes is a little more water in my hair. I have succumbed to the fact that shampoo does not need to lather in order to clean. It has a very natural but subtle smell... Like herbs, I quite like it!

Mandarin Shampoo

A great every day shampoo, it is more like a gel consistency as opposed to the Rice Amino one, which is very watery. It smells faintly of mandarin which quickly disappears, but I don't mind much because I'm not partial to smelling of oranges... It takes a little more to lather this one up, but it cleans the hair just as well leaving it squeaky clean, but not dry. I can use this shampoo on its own without conditioner and my hair is ridiculously soft without going static, if you have fine hair you know what I'm talking about! It's also nicely volumised without the need for extra products.

Avocado and Calendula Conditioner

This is an amazing conditioner, I will repurchase this over and over again! I always had the problem of my roots getting greasy and my ends being too dry looking, this sorts all of that out, wether I use it all over my head or just on the ends my hairs is soft and manageable. I only need to use this once a week, even though I wash my hair every day. I can let my hair dry naturally and it won't look frizzy at the ends or stringy at the end of the day. I hate the rat tail look... It's so unbecoming :) 

Another little gem:

A'kin Leave in Conditioner

Great for just a little extra moisture into the hair and with an added bonus it also protects against heat styling.

  

Again there are no nasties in this and it doesn't weigh my hair down or make it look greasy, only the tiniest amount of this cream like formula is enough for my whole head as it spreads so well.

I have completely fallen in love with natural hair care, nothing makes my hair look fuller or as healthy as these products. I started to use regular shop brands like Vo5 and my head hated them, i had an itchy scalp and my hair shredded a lot more, plenty of bad hair days then! I gladly pay a little extra for these products, they also do large pump bottles as well which is amazing!

The below pictures shows the use of shampoo, conditioner and the leave in conditioner only and my hair has air dried. I also haven't had a trim in 11 weeks and I have tons of baby hairs from my hair growing back. I love these products! 

I buy these from Bath and Unwind at around £10.50 a bottle, but they usually have offers on certain bottles! 

What do you think about natural hair care, would you pay extra for it?

Making a come back!

So ive taken a hiatus of around 8 months or so... boy did I need it! I have missed the blogging/beauty community like crazy, I am so out of touch with things right now! I havnt bought any new makeup at all and I am due for a bit of a splurge, I have my eye on quite a few things so you'll be seeing them eventually on your dash board! 

My lil Amber is now 3... yea... 3, I cant quite believe it! But she is a wee angel and full of beans, she cant sit still for too long! Wee bright spark as well, dont know where she gets that from!

I have also been getting into fitness quite a lot, dropped a stone and a half in weight and am currently trying to gain muscle, in all honesty ive never felt better! I am going to start blogging about my usual makeup ramblings again as well as my fitness routines and healthy eating, which is tough as a mum sometimes making different meals and trying to squeeze in quick workouts!

I missed you guys... I am now going to curl up, read blogs, and make up new wish lists! Xx